New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) India will intensify its political and economic engagement with the energy-rich Central Asia when Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chavan goes to Dushanbe - the Tajik capital - Friday to attend the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was invited to attend the heads of government meeting of the SCO - a six-nation regional grouping comprising Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and China, but he could not attend the meeting as it coincided with the NAM summit in Havana later this week.

"The Dushanbe meeting is expected to focus on the promotion of economic cooperation within the SCO framework," a statement by the prime minister's office said.

India, along with Pakistan and China, were invited as observers at the summit meeting of the SCO held in the Kazakh capital Astana last year.

India seeks to step its full involvement in an entire range of SCO activities that promote economic, energy, cultural cooperation. India backed the resolution on combating terrorism jointly at the SCO meet last year.

Chavan will address the plenary session at the SCO's meeting in Dushanbe.